A Belated Fathers' Day
21 June 2010
Occasionally, I have one of those days where I wake up feeling off. Like the moment I open my eyes, I realize, “Today’s going to be a battle.” Unfortunately for my husband, yesterday was one of them. I woke up feeling like I’d been injected with extra hormones and that what little patience I normally possess had been sucked out of me overnight. And on top of that was the chant going on in my head of, “It’s Fathers’ Day. I need to be nice. I need to be happy. It’s Fathers’ Day.” When your kids are little and don’t really get the idea of holidays that honor people in our lives, it’s up to you to make the day special.
I did not properly honor my husband yesterday. I was too busy either crying or trying not to cry. So instead, I’ll honor him today.
I met Ben in 8th grade, and even then fatherhood was on his heart. He’s wanted McKenna since the moment we met, and when we talked about our future, she was always a part of it. (Though her name changed several times over the years.) Both of us felt like we would have a girl first, so at our 20-week ultrasound, when the tech poked and prodded my belly for 45 minutes trying to determine the sex, neither of us were surprised when she said, “It’s a girl.”
Ben has always been head over heels in love with his daughter. He regularly complains that he doesn’t get as much time with her as he wants, and I know he means it because he leaps at chances to be with her. Even when it’s 2 in the morning. He’s often out of bed to tend to her before I even notice she’s awake. In the evenings, if we’re talking about her after she’s gone to bed, he’ll often say, “Let’s go wake her up…” And even though he’s joking, I think if I would agree to it, he just might.
None of this comes as a big surprise to me. For as long as I’ve known Ben, he’s been a magnet for kids. I always knew he would be an amazing father. Because of that, I don’t express to him nearly often enough just how much I appreciate his family-oriented heart.
I grew up feeling like my dad loved spending time with me, that he loved having me around, that Mom and I were the most important things in the world to him. It warms my heart to know McKenna is being raised the same way.
So sweet! Sorry yesterday was lousy for you, but this is a great honoring.
My hubby hasn’t always been a kid-magnet, but he did always have that Italian heart-for-family going on. We picked out our kids’ names when we were 15, and I love watching him with the real-life versions. Nothing like it, is there?
Here’s to awesome fathers—the ones that raised us and the ones helping us raise the next generation!
Posted by Roseanna White on 21 June 2010